


resolute, i stand

by lonelyhumans



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fay only comes in in chapter 2, Fix-It of Sorts, Force-Sensitive Shmi Skywalker, Palpatine is Implied mentioned but also not physically there, Watto is mentioned but not physically present, but I wanted to tag her so that y'all know she's coming I didn't feel like making it a surprise, lower-case is intended, there is mention of abuse but not explicit and only for like 2 lines really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26002924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonelyhumans/pseuds/lonelyhumans
Summary: palpatine finds anakin before the jedi, and intends to buy him from watto. following a warning from the force, shmi takes anakin and escapes into the deserts of tatooine. she doesn’t expect to find anything; naturally, the force surprises her.oran au i'm slowly developing about a jedi temple that travels to where it's needed, not unlike a certain jedi master, and the people it helps.
Relationships: Fay (Star Wars)/Shmi Skywalker
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	resolute, i stand

shmi skywalker never planned to run.

she’d tried once before, when she was younger and more foolish, believing that simply _surviving_ wasn’t enough, wasn’t just as difficult as escaping. it was the dreams that convinced her, dreams of having a new life out amongst the scars, with no slave chip to hold her back. dreaming led her to run, once.

it quickly became clear from the scars on her back that dreaming was dangerous, so she stopped.

but then anakin came, an unexpected miracle that had watto treating her even a smidge closer to the sentient she was ( even if only so he could use her baby for more labor ).

( she told him the father had ran off, that it’d been a one night stand. he never questioned her further, and she took comfort in that; who knew how he might have treated her knowing anakin was truly a miracle, not just in name. )

the dreaming came back, though she kept it from anakin ( she didn’t need him spouting foolish wishes that would get him whipped or starved or _worse_ ). it was only something she entertained late at night, after anakin had been put to bed, when the lights of starships flying overhead became a source of comfort. _what if it was us on those starships_.

_what if we got away_.

never questions, never truly considered options. she knew, as all slaves did, that the second it became clear their masters could not find them, the chips in their bodies would be activated, and their freedom would be shorter lived than a scrap of food thrown to the womp rats.

so she didn’t plan, didn’t dream, didn’t even _think_ about leaving, about trying to get away.

and then everything changed.

watto was going to sell anakin. a rich stranger, a kindly old man who at first glance seemed frail and old, offered a fortune for him. just for anakin.

he assured shmi he wanted to free anakin, that this was the only way for her son to escape the life as a slave.

she almost listened to his lies, but she felt it. felt the darkness surrounding him, the shadows that clouded his true intentions.

something in her told her not to trust him.

no matter his words, he wanted to take anakin from her and. well. shmi skywalker couldn’t let that happen.

she _wouldn’t_.

so she runs, anakin in hand and a small bundle of supplies across her back, the two of them against the sands of tatooine. it’s the most foolhardy and reckless thing she’s ever done, but the time for obedience has long passed. anakin is all she has left — to lose him would be unthinkable. to lose him to this man, this shrouded stranger with manipulation in his every word? even worse. at least this way she can say that she tried, that she didn’t let him up without a fight, even if the chances of their survival are minimal.

if the sun and the sand don’t get them, there’s a good chance watto’s buyer will, whether through the use of speeders that won’t be slowed down by the dunes or by something else, some power she felt rippling underneath the frail countenance he gave off. it still isn’t enough to dissuade shmi. she promised to take care of anakin, to protect him with her life and by the force, she _will._

the trek across the sands is difficult. sand gets everywhere, even more so than it did back in the small village they used to call home, but shmi presses on, does her best to shield anakin when the wind picks up and flings the sand into their eyes. anakin complains, tired and hungry and parched, but shmi has limited supplies and their time is limited. she’s determined to make it as far as possible, not knowing how far, exactly, it is to the nearest settlement. even if they do make it, however, there’s the possibility that they’ll be returned, that watto and the man will find them and she has no doubt the punishment will be swift and harsh.

she tries not to think about it. better to stay in the moment, think about the beating of the sun on her back while anakin stumbles along beside her.

as long as she thinks of anakin, she can keep going. he can’t though, and eventually shmi picks him up, resolves herself to carry him as far as she can. exhaustion seeps through her bones, makes it hard to pick up her feet, especially when the sands try to drag her under, but she keeps going, plodding forward one step at a time, focused only on the shimmering distance, over one, two, infinite dunes.

she has no idea if the man is even following her ( he didn’t quite seem like the type to track someone down himself, but there’s no telling with how off he felt ) or if perhaps he’s decided to wait and see if the two return to beg forgiveness before they die of the heat, but she keeps going. something has to be out there. for anakin’s sake.

and yet, nothing is. she’s not sure what she expected. the twin suns are getting low in the sky, and the skywalkers are far enough away that there’s nothing in any direction as far as the eye can see, and it’s just klicks of _nothingness_. shmi is not a particularly faithful person; anakin had been a miracle and sure, she feels connected sometimes, like the whole galaxy is tied to her with strings but —

right now she feels particularly faithless, hopeless. alone.

there’s a real fear; fear that this is for nothing. even though she’d expected this outcome, the knowledge that she’s _right_ , that there truly is _nothing_ out there for them, hurts. it _hurts_ and tempts her into collapsing to her knees and yelling at the gods but. but.

shmi skywalker might not always be faithful, but she _is_ resolute. a fountain of determination, of finding a way where there is none. of carrying on, when everything else would have her submit.

she keeps going. places one foot in front of the next, and doesn’t look back. anakin, asleep on her back, notices nothing, but if she looks for it, really feels for it, she can sense a string of light from him. an aura of warmth that somehow doesn’t feel out of place in the heat of the desert. it’s a reminder: she’s not alone.

and suddenly, out of the nothingness of the desert, beneath the dune shmi stands on, there is something. a temple, tall and ominous, made of pale stone. it rises out of the dunes several hundred meters tall and yet —

shmi is certain it wasn’t there before.

her footsteps stutter in their movement and she comes to a stop, surprise and disbelief at the sudden silhouette in the setting suns flashing through her in a way that makes her think she’s hallucinating, but then anakin stirs, lifting his head.

“what’s that?” he asks, already perking up at the sight of protection from the sun, not to mention someplace new to explore. shmi hesitates, allowing for anakin to slide off her back and onto the sand, any complaint about the annoying particles ignored in favor of the fascinating new development in their journey. “do you think it’s safe?”

“i’m not quite sure,” she replies, eyes caught on the strange symbols carved up and down the pillars. there’s an open area around the outside of the temple, flanked by columns that hold up a roof, and then beautifully decorated walls hiding the insides from the world around it. half of it sits covered in sand, as if it’s been there for ages — a relic from a past long forgotten.

in her heart, shmi knows this to be correct, feels the ancient aura settled over the place as clearly as she feels anakin’s sunlit smile even when he’s not in the same room.

this place has memories of a time shmi can’t even imagine, and a slight chill runs down her back, despite the harsh suns beating down on her. naturally, anakin picks this moment to go running down the dune and towards the safety of the shadows, excitement bleeding through his actions and surrounding shmi with something light.

“anakin!” she calls out, following as closely as she can while trying to stay on her feet. The sand makes her stumble slightly, but she manages, running to catch up to anakin, though he charges ahead, coming to a stop only before the presumed entrance, a set of tall stone doors — intricately carved with two figures, each facing towards each other — that couldn’t possibly be opened by a small child like anakin; an upside, really, as it allows shmi to catch up to her son and grab ahold of his shoulders from behind just before he’s able to press his hands against the stone. although she senses no immediate danger from the place, she pulls anakin back against her. as a rule, one should not go touching mysterious temples that appear in places they shouldn’t be without checking with their mother first.

“mom!” anakin whines, half-struggling against her hold, but she stands fast, refusing to let up.

“there are things in this world that deserve respect, my love. don’t go around touching things at random,” she says, adjusting her grip so that she’s holding his hand instead.

“but it wants us to go in! i know it does, i can feel it,” shmi frowns, turning her gaze from anakin to the door instead, and now that she focuses on it...it does almost seem to be welcoming them. the figures on the door, static as they may be, create a picture of welcome, as if they’re motioning to open the door, or motioning the two skywalkers inside. still, she hesitates, hand clutching anakin’s tightly. they might be desperate and on the run, but this place just appeared. out of thin air. there’s a reason to be wary.

as if to add to her uncertainty, the doors scrape open by themselves, grinding against the sand and stone beneath them. shmi watches, too entranced to move backwards but unyielding in her grip on anakin, determined to face whatever might be coming out to meet them together.

only...nothing comes out. the doors open inwards, revealing nobody on the other side. instead, rays of sunlight shine down on the other side of the door, the glare blocking shmi from seeing any further into the temple. next to her, anakin gasps, enthralled with the strange otherworldly light that stays bright, despite the growing darkness of tatooine as the twin suns set.

“mom…” anakin says quietly, awed, pulling at her hand. she knows he’s drawn towards the place, not just out of a childlike curiosity, but from something deeper, something in his bones, his soul. shmi feels it too.

it could be dangerous but...she doesn’t think so. in fact, she has the feeling they are exactly where they need to be. even if they aren’t, however, they need shelter for the night. with the old man likely on their trail by now, it’s not safe to keep going, and that’s without bringing up the cold desert night that could freeze them in their modest coverings. if this place can shelter them through all that, who is shmi to look a gift bantha in the mouth? anakin slips out of her grasp then, immediately charging through the door while shmi takes a moment, breathes deeply and releases. she takes one step forward, then another one, stopping only to lay a hesitant hand on one of the figures on the door. the stone’s warmth is natural, yet it doesn’t feel as if it comes from the twin suns; rather, it feels as if it is something inside, or the temple _itself_ that’s exuding the welcoming aura.

_you’re safe here_ , it seems to say. shmi smiles.

“thank you,” she responds, and if they glow in response, well. that’s just a trick of the light.

**Author's Note:**

> this is, as shown in the tags, a canon-divergence au. i imagine anakin is somewhere around the age where qui-gon finds him in tpm, but instead of qui-gon, palpatine actually goes searching for the disturbance in the force. shmi, who i hc to be force-sensitive, senses something is off when he talks to her, and naturally her motherly instincts kick in so she takes anakin and flees. they run into the temple which i imagine to be sort of like danny the street from doom patrol — it is somewhat sentient and teleports around the galaxy as it sees fit. in this au fay is still doing her own healing stuff around the galaxy, however she also considers herself to be a guardian of the temple and is probably the jedi who spends the most time in it. granted, that bit of lore still needs to be worked out, but for now that's what i have. i may or may not write a whole series based on the concept, but i'm not gonna promise anything. also, even though fay doesn't show up til chapter two, i think it's worth mentioning that the idea of fay/shmi was inspired by blackkatmagic on tumblr and i was also introduced to fay through kat's fics. that being said, i'm trying to write her my own way, and this fic concept is entirely my own ( though i did think of it while listening to feel first life by jon hopkins which i do recommend ). okay i think that's everything? i'm on tumblr @ the same name and i swear i'm super chill !!! comments and kudos welcomed and appreciated !!! ( also shoutout to scarlett who betaed this for me love my fellow jedi apologist <3 )


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